LONDON: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif will be hospitalised in the coming days to undergo a test which will be followed by a heart procedure, his personal physician said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters outside London Bridge Hospital, Dr Adnan Khan said Mr Sharif met Professor Simon Redwood who is an authority on cardiac intervention. Prof Redwood is a consultant cardiologist at the hospital, which is associated with Guys’ and St Thomas NHS Foundation, and has been performing percutaneous coronary intervention for over 20 years.

“Prof Simon Redwood did a detailed exam of Nawaz Sharif Sb’s history of carotid artery disease. He has gone through the details and feels he (Mr Sharif) needs to be hospitalised to go through an angiogram,” Dr Khan said.

He added that after the angiogram, it is likely that the doctor will suggest a procedure for the heart and carotid artery. However, Dr Khan said Mr Sharif’s immune disorder must be addressed before any procedure.

IHC exempts ex-PM from personal appearance in Al-Azizia case

“It is important to address his thrombocytopenia with a haematologist prior to any surgery. The angiogram is likely planned on Thursday. After the PET scan, we will have a clearer picture of the haematological issue and diagnoses. Only then can we plan the cardiac procedure.”

An angiogram is a medical imaging technique used by doctors to visualise arteries, veins and heart chambers. Although angiograms are generally considered safe, Mr Sharif’s low platelet count and history of heart disease may elevate the risk of complications. An angiogram done for an individual as an outpatient typically requires up to six-hour stay in hospital if there is no complication.

Mr Sharif’s visit to London Bridge Hospital is one in a series of hospital visits made by him since he arrived in London on Nov 19. Mr Sharif and members of his family have consulted with several doctors, including those who specialise in cardiac issues and immune disorders. He arrived in London three weeks after he was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Azizia case on medical grounds.

He is usually accompanied on hospital visits by his son, Hussein Nawaz, his brother Shahbaz Sharif as well as Dr Khan who is the Sharif family doctor.

On Monday, however, Mr Sharif was also joined by PML-N leader Nasir Butt, the central figure in the controversy surrounding leaked videos of district and sessions court judge Arshad Malik.

Mr Butt was seen leaving the family’s Avenfield flat with Mr Sharif when he left home for the hospital. He was also seen outside the hospital premises after Mr Sharif met his consultant.

Mr Butt, who is said to have recorded the controversial statements of judge Malik, came into the spotlight on July 6 this year when the PML-N leadership held a press conference and alleges that the judge had been “blackmailed” into passing a verdict against Mr Sharif. The PML-N accuses judge Malik of convicting Mr Sharif under duress, however, the judge claims he was blackmailed by PML-N supporters.

The Federal Investigation Agency raided Mr Butt’s home in July and claimed to have recovered “important documents”. In September, Mr Butt surfaced in London to submit what he said was “evidence” in the video scandal to the Pakistan High Commission.

Judge video scandal

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) exempted Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance in the hearing of an appeal filed against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference.

The court took up two identical petitions filed by counsel of Mr Sharif and Mr Butt seeking probe in the matter related to the judge video scandal.

An IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani put off further hearing till a fortnight.

The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecution informed the court that the bureau had filed the reply to the miscellaneous petitions of Mr Sharif and Mr Butt.

The court suggested the petitioner’s counsel to examine the NAB’s response and then advance the arguments by next date.

Hearing another Mr Butt’s petition seeking attestation of the evidence against former accountability judge Malik, the court directed the federal government to formally respond in writing to his application.

The counsel of Mr Butt informed the court that his client requested the officials of Pakistani High Commission in the UK to attest the transcripts of the conversation between judge Malik and Mr Butt, video recording and forensic report of the evidence.

Syed Mohammad Tayyab, deputy attorney general, argued that since Mr Butt is an accused and fugitive, therefore, he was not entitled to get documents verified by the high commission.

The court observed that Mr Butt had not been declared as absconder by the trial court.

The bench, however, directed the officials of the high commission to respond in writing to the request and then the court would examine the matter under relevant laws.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2019